Life, 1928-11-02 · page 22 of 48
Life — November 2, 1928 — page 22: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This Life magazine page from **November 6** (appears to be 1928, an election year) satirizes voter hypocrisy during Prohibition and the presidential race between **Herbert Hoover** (Republican incumbent) and **Al Smith** (Democrat). **The Cartoon's Point:** A farmer complains bitterly about Hoover's wartime food rationing and opposes Prohibition, praising Smith as someone who "knows what people want"—implying Smith would relax alcohol restrictions. The farmer declares he'll protest by "not voting." **The Irony:** The caption reveals he then votes the straight Republican ticket anyway, following family tradition despite his stated grievances. **Historical Context:** This mocks voters who claim discontent but lack conviction, and reflects the 1920s Prohibition debate. The "goldfish" reference suggests soldiers were fed unusual rations. Smith, a Catholic from wet New York, represented anti-Prohibition sentiment; Hoover represented enforcement. **The satire:** Voters talk reform but default to habit.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“I intend to record my protest against the Government next week—by not voting.” November 6 Jat did this Hoover feller ever do for * he inquired. “All he ever done was to feed us on barley and bran during the War. Why, any time we'd want five pounds of flour we'd have to buy a couple carloads of bran and barley! That's not white man’s food! I had a hard time feed- ing it to my hogs and chickens. He talks about Farm Relief and what he is going to do for the farmers. The War gave the farmers the only chance they ever had of making a killing and this guy Hoover shot it full of holes! He said: ‘Conserve wheat! The soldiers need wheat!’ and then he fed them on ‘goldfish’! Yah! What has this Hoover ever done for us? “Smith is a regular guy, though! He knows what the people want! He knows that cight years of bootleg rot-gut has ruined more stomachs, killed and blinded more people, and raised more hell with the younger generation who think it is smart to break the law than the old- fashioned corner saloon ever did! My stomach for one is rebelling. It craves some legally mellowed wine and beer that is not aged by electricity, if aged at all! Remember the good old days when if you wanted a drink you didn’t have to go into a vault, set the time lock, and then be afraid that a Prohibition agent would meet you with a stomach pump when the door opens? Yup, Smith, not Hoover, the guy to vote for!” And he walked into the polls and voted the straight Republican ticket as his father and grandfather had done before him. ].E.D. PARTING SHOT Tuink of me, when you are sad: Think what happiness we had. Think of me, when you are blue: Often we were wretched, too. Think of me, when foolish tears Mark your little hopes and fears. Oh, my darling, think of me Making whoopee in Paree! Norman R. Jaffray. VOTE FOR ROGERS VOTE FOR SMITH VOTE FOR HOOVER put —= VOTE! comicbooks.com